Exercises in passive and potential vocabulary acquisition

The main types of passive and potential vocabulary exercises are receptive and receptive-reproductive activities. For this purpose language exercises are mainly used. This is so, because the learner is involved into perceiving the form of a vocabulary item first. As for the meaning, he is to understand it while performing specific actions and operations, namely:

- filling in blanks in a text while reading. It develops the learner’s ability to predict;

- correlating a polysemantic word in a certain context with its equivalents in the mother tongue;

- choosing the meaning of a polysemantic word, available in the context, from several suggested meanings;

- defining the meaning of an underlined polysemantic word in the suggested context with the help of a dictionary;

- defining the meaning of a phraseological expression with the help of a dictionary;

- choosing words from a text on the basis of common semantic/ topical character of the words;

- choosing key words in an utterance, passage, text;

- finding unfamiliar words conveying additional information in a text;

- finding words expressing either positive or negative appraisal, other evaluative characteristics in a text;

- finding international words in a text;

- selecting corresponding equivalents in the mother tongue to the suggested international words;

- defining meanings of unfamiliar compound words according to their components (a snowman, a run-away, breakfast, smog, etc.);

- defining meanings of derivatives built up from familiar stems with the help of familiar affixes (helpless, unfortunately, a cooler, etc.);

- defining meanings of unfamiliar words built up on the basis of conversion (water - to water, a man – to man, etc.);

- defining new meanings of familiar polysemantic words from the context;

- guessing the meaning of an unfamiliar word, word-combination from the context (e.g., It was hot. We were working in the field. I asked my friend, ‘Have you got any water in the flask?’).

It is noteworthy that acquiring lexical input is aimed at forming lexical habits of communication in L2. Different stages of teaching/ learning are characterised by their own peculiarities of using activities aimed at lexical material acquisition.

At the junior stage oral non-translation simulative communicative exercises prevail. They are performed in the classroom under the teacher’s guidance. Choral training, lexical games, visual illustrative verbal and non-verbal aids are widely used. A certain part of exercises should be performed in writing, both in the lesson and at home.

At the intermediate stage the role of written exercises increases. It concerns especially those done autonomously at home. Non-communicative drills are used alongside with simulative communicative activities because lexical input becomes more complicated. This, in its turn, requires using analytical operations to overcome the difficulties of form, meaning and usage of lexical items.

At the senior stage the learners’ potential vocabulary is enlarged simultaneously with further activation of real vocabulary. This increases the role of activities performed with polysemantic, compound, international words and derivatives. At the same time, learners’ autonomous work with new vocabulary is given more emphasis. The techniques of using English-Russian and Russian-English dictionaries are improved.

Conclusions

In this talk, we have defined the objective of teaching vocabulary as lexical habits formation, i.e. forming the learners’ ability to use the newly acquired lexical input in all kinds of speech activity. We have discussed types of vocabulary minima and basic principles of their selection. After discussing kinds of lexical habit and methodological typology of vocabulary, we have solved the problem of meaning conveyance and the choice of explanation techniques. We have decided that vocabulary acquisition is a three-stage process, with presentation as the first stage, operations automation as the second and actions automation as the third. And finally, we have formulated specific requirements to exercises in vocabulary acquisition and characterised exercises in active vocabulary acquisition, on the one hand, and those in passive and potential vocabulary acquisition, on the other hand.

Discussion

1. What is the main objective of teaching lexical material in school?

2. What approaches to vocabulary minimum selection do you know? Dwell upon their advantages and disadvantages.

3. List the major principles of vocabulary minimum selection.

4. Dwell upon types of vocabulary minima, their quantitative and qualitative characteristics.

5. Characterise receptive and reproductive lexical habits.

6. What is a lexical item? Which of its characteristics are relevant for teaching?

7. What difficulties do learners of English face when acquiring vocabulary?

8. What method of conveying the meaning of lexical items seems preferable to you? Why?

9. Prove your choice of a particular explanation technique of new vocabulary at the junior stage.

10. Characterise the stages of the vocabulary acquisition process.

11. Which requirements should exercises in teaching vocabulary meet?

12. Outline the system of exercises for active vocabulary acquisition. Give examples of your own.

13. Outline the system of exercises for passive and potential vocabulary acquisition. Give examples of your own.

In this talk we are going to consider a lesson as the main organisational form and unit of teaching, including main requirements to an English lesson. Our next concern will be a teacher of English and the teacher teaching style. Next we will be dwelling upon types and kinds of lesson. We will be trying to outline a system of lessons and to highlight variable and invariable lesson components. Means of teaching and teaching devices will be our special consideration. Finally, planning will come in focus of spotlight.

15. TYPOLOGY OF LESSONS. LESSON STRUCTURE

15.1. Lesson as the main organisational form of teaching

15.1.1. Lesson as the main organisational unit of teaching

15.1.2. Requirements to a foreign language lesson

15.1.2.1. Communicative orientation of a lesson

15.1.2.2. Integrity of a lesson

15.1.2.3. A foreign language serves the aim and the means of

teaching

15.1.2.4. High level of the learners’ thinking and verbal

activity

15.1.2.5. Maximum variety of forms in students’ activities

15.1.2.6. Ensuring motivation of learning activity

15.2. Teacher of English

15.2.1. Teacher-student co-operation

15.2.2. Teacher qualities

15.2.3. Professional training

15.2.4. The role of the teacher

15.2.4.1. Roles reflecting institutional factors

15.2.4.2. Roles reflecting a teaching approach or method

15.2.4.3. Roles reflecting a personal view of teaching

15.2.4.4. Cultural dimensions of roles

15.3. Types and kinds of lesson

15.4. System of lessons

15.5. Lesson components: variable and invariable

15.5.1. Openings

15.5.2. Main body

15.5.2.1.Sequencing

15.5.2.2. Pacing

15.5.3. Closure

15.6. Means and devices of teaching

15.7. Teacher preparation for the lesson

15.7.1. Teacher decision making

15.7.1.1. Planning decisions

15.7.1.2. Interactive decisions

15.7.1.3. Evaluative decisions

15.7.1.4. Main steps

15.7.2. Lesson plan

15.7.3. System of long period planning

15.8. Conclusions

Дата добавления: 2015-11-13